The next step forward is something that can certainly trip up even the most experienced and dedicated musicians. The future is something that even the wisest of us can never clearly see for any and every reason but sometimes turning back towards the path can show you where to go next. When Elder went on a creative sabbatical after all the activity following their release of 2022’s “Innate Passage”, it was anyone’s guess what direction they would travel next. Instead of plunging forth into something brand new, Elder doubled back and sought to complete something they had previously shelved that never properly fit in any particular album. The result? Nothing short of an eye-popping, captivating effort that’s rich upon all the senses to put Elder in the conversation yet again for one of the best performances of the year.

A little bit of a break can make all the difference. Impressive at it may be to remain a constant and never allow things to sit still for too long, it can be absolutely vital for anyone to take the time, step back, and allow your batteries to recharge. You want to maintain that high-level energy in such a way that you’re not literally burning the candle at both ends. Elder clearly understands that and utilized it to great effect. Otherwise, who’s to say what would have come of the two tracks of “Liminality / Dream State Return”? One should shudder at the thought of this 18-minute creation being lost to time. Bridging the sounds of two distinct Elder records, what we’re offered here shows us a precise moment in the evolution of this extraordinary act. A psychedelic experience that never once shies away from its deeply progressive tendencies, “Liminality / Dream State Return” begs you to take Elder’s hand and travel into a world between all others. The laws of reality are waved away like the nuisances they are and anything becomes possible as Elder carefully builds a reality that’s folding in on itself with kaleidoscopic colors, interwoven rhythms, and soaring keys that tie this experience together in such a form that is beyond compelling. Elder has never been anything to doubt or underestimate, yet it’s by looking into the past for a fresh path forward that we are reminded why this is a name that demands our attention, respect, and adoration. For all it pulls off in masterful fashion, “Liminality / Dream State Return” never once lacks in its overwhelming substance.

Every year Elder comes around, they dominate the conversation. Here, it’s no different. Everything that’s been summoned throughout this 18-minute creation could very well easily be marked off as little more than a glorified B-side, but to know Elder is to know good and damn well that this creation is far more. From beginning to end, “Liminality / Dream State Return” is the soul-gripping performance that offers that shot of otherworldly euphoria right into your veins with all the potency, nuance, and pure magic the likes of which is synonymous with all that is Elder.

LISTEN to “Liminality / Dream State Return” on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.

LIKE Elder on Facebook here.

FOLLOW Elder on Instagram here.